07/07/2011

Good call Wash' - don't expand All-Star rosters

When Ron Washington was hired as Rangers manager in 2007 he had visions of winning World Series, and being everyone's best friend. The smartest adjustment he made was to accept that as a manager, and not just a bench coach or third base coach, is that you can't be everyone's best friend. You're going to make players upset; just don't make the wrong player upset. How he kept Michael Young from exploding is a testament to his ability to manage people, even if Young is at his core a good and agreeable guy.

Now Wash is American League All-Star manager. Let that sink in Wash' Haters - Ron Washington is the manager for the American League All-Star team. Mad props.

"It's my first time and it's an honor and a thrill," Wash said today on a MLB conference call along with NL All-Star manager Bruce Bochy. "I had great guidance in the process. There is a lot of behind the scenes. I thought the players and fans did an excellent job of picking the team. ... As a manager, you only have so many choices."

Excellent PC comment, sir.

Like every other All-Star manager, Wash had some tough calls to keep or cut. I know the NYC media is hacked C.C. Sabathia didn't make it over C.J. Wilson, but the tie always goes to the guy who wants his guys with him.

Of all the things Wash said on the call, we can all agree the All-Star roster does not need to be expanded. We can debate whether the winning league of an exhibition should be awarded home field advantage during the World Series - personally, I'm fine with it - but we can agree there should not be more than 33 players on each side.

"That amount of players, everything is covered," Wash said. "I think it's not a perfect system, and there is no perfection in the game of baseball. They go a good job of running it and I'd like to see it stay that way."

To add any more players would be to devalue of what it means to be an All-Star. Do as Wash says - keep the roster where it is.